BIRTH of a child emotional descriptions:
Life altering
Overwhelming
Survival mode
Liminal
Emotional
Terrifying
Exhausting
Perplexing
Confusing
Exasperating
Isolating
Thrown into another universe
Loss of sense of self
Depression
Crying
Feelings of guilt, inadequacy and worth
Anxiety inducing
Inability to sleep/so much tiredness
Restlessness
DEATH of a child emotional descriptions:
Life altering
Overwhelming
Survival mode
Liminal
Emotional
Terrifying
Exhausting
Perplexing
Confusing
Exasperating
Isolating
Thrown into another universe
Loss of sense of self
Depression
Crying
Feelings of guilt, inadequacy and worth
Anxiety inducing
Inability to sleep/so much tiredness
Restlessness
Isn't it odd that they are all the same? Are there different emotions experienced during birth and death as well? Definitely. So many more. However, there is also an overwhelming amount of similarity.
It seems unjust. A law was put in place in 1993 to give new parents 12 weeks off to adjust to the birth of a child, yet if parents face the death of a child, they are only given 3-5 days of bereavement leave (if they are lucky and their employer has a policy)?
To me, it's straightforward. The Family Medical Leave Act was enacted in 1993 to enable workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to bond with a newborn, newly adopted, or newly placed child; tend to a seriously ill child, spouse, or parent; or address their own severe medical condition without the risk of being dismissed. This law was highly necessary then and remains so today -
We overlooked a crucial aspect: DEATH. Death of your child, your spouse, your close loved one. It is a topic and reality that nobody desires to discuss, especially not in our society overall, let alone in the workplace.
Current FMLA applies to all public agencies, all public and private elementary and secondary schools, and companies with 50 or more employees. These employers must provide an eligible employee with up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave each year for any of the following reasons:
For the birth and care of the newborn child of an employee;
For placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care;
To care for an immediate family member (i.e., spouse, child, or parent) with a serious health condition; or
To take medical leave when the employee is unable to work because of a serious health condition
Let's add one more in there:
For the death of a child, spouse/significant other or immediate family member (as defined by the company's policies)
This pertains to guaranteed protected time off, rather than compensated time off. It ensures that employees won't risk losing their jobs due to being unable to perform their duties due to their life altering event of death. It's about showing consideration for all employees who will inevitably face the loss of a loved one at some point in their lives.
Join me as I collaborate with the Department of Labor to amend the FMLA Act by adding DEATH as a 'significant life event'.
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